Local Government Organisations

Cabinet Office

The Cabinet Office coordinates the weekly meetings of Government ministers, National Security Council meetings, as well as special local, regional and international projects arising from these meetings. It includes the Secretariat, which primarily provides administrative and technical support to the Premier and to Cabinet and National Security Council meetings and projects; the Policy Coordination Unit; the Immigration Appeals Tribunal; the Protocol Office; Freedom of Information Unit; Radio Cayman; the Public Affairs Unit, which closed in June 2011; Temporary Housing Initiative, which closed on 30th June 2013; and Constitutional Review Secretariat, which closed in November 2009 following the passage of the 2009 Constitution.

Constitutional Review Secretariat

The now defunct Constitutional Review Secretariat (archived website) was established to restart the constitutional modernisation process in the Cayman Islands with a view to achieving national consensus on areas of constitutional reform upon which the Cayman Islands Government may negotiate a new constitution for the Cayman Islands with the United Kingdom. The Office of the Constitutional Review Secretariat was launched on 1 March 2007. The Secretariat fell under the Cabinet Office and was under the supervision of then Cabinet Secretary Mr. Orrett Connor.

Governor's Office

The Governor's Office is responsible for the security and good governance of the Cayman Islands as part of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office's global network.

Aims that form part of this priority are to:

Maintain a balance in the constitutional relationship which reflects the rights and responsibilities of both the UK and the Cayman Islands as outlined in the 2012 Overseas Territories White Paper;

Work closely with other government departments to fulfil the UK government’s collective responsibility for the Cayman Islands;

Work closely with Cayman Islands Government to minimise the vulnerability of the Cayman Islands to climate change, economic changes, international crime, natural disasters and other developments; and

Manage the effect of new international obligations on the Cayman Islands.

Judicial Administration

The Judicial Administration is committed to fairly dispensing justice in the Cayman Islands and disposing of cases as quickly and efficiently as is consistent with the interests of justice and to providing international legal assistance pursuant to international treaties. The Judiciary is one of three separate arms of Government. Its function is to administer the law independently of the Executive and the Legislative arms of Government; an independence that is safeguarded in the Constitution of the Cayman Islands. The Judiciary comprises several jurisdictions within the hierarchy of the courts: Summary Court, Grand Court, Court of Appeal and Privy Council. Judicial Officers are comprised of the Chief Justice, the President of the Court of Appeal, the Justices of Appeal, several Judges, a Chief Magistrate and several Magistrates. Their website includes publications of judgements and Cayman Islands law reports.

Legislative Assembly

The Legislative Assembly is a unicameral Legislature comprising 21 Members, 19 of whom are Elected Representatives from the Islands' electoral districts, as established by the Nineteen Single Member Electoral Districts Boundaries Order, 2015: four from West Bay, five from George Town, one each from Red Bay, Prospect, Newlands and Savannah, two from Bodden Town, one each from East End and North Side, and two from Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. There are two Ex- Officio Members who are appointed by the Governor, the Deputy Governor and the Attorney-General.

Ombudsman

The Ombudsman is an independent office established under the Ombudsman Law, 2017 which began serving the public on 13 September 2017. The Ombudsman can help with resolving complaints about Government decisions and unfair treatment by Government, investigating complaints about police misconduct, protecting whistleblowers, and ensuring information rights and Government transparency through monitoring compliance with the FOI Law. This office replaces the Information Commissioner's Office, and individuals denied access to information requests or who believe their request was mishandled may appeal the matter to the Ombudsman.